When in unfamiliar settings, it would be very useful for a person to be able to automatically discover who else was nearby, and also what other resources were near that person. For example, at conferences, meetings and other social engagements, people interact with one another fairly regularly, and often see the same people at many such events. One of the most awkward and difficult things that occurs for an individual is to see someone that he or she should know fairly well from a previous encounter, yet be unable to remember the name and other details of that person. Some people may go so far as to attempt to avoid such a person until they can recall at least the name, or otherwise find out who that person is.
In addition to discovering other people, many individuals would benefit from being able to discover other resources that are nearby. For example, a user of a mobile computing device may need to print a document, such as when out of the office, and would thus benefit from being able to detect the nearest available printer. As another example, a user may misplace a mobile computing device, such as by leaving a pocket-sized digital assistant in someone else's office or under a pile of papers, and would benefit from being able to discover the location of the misplaced device. As other examples, a person may want to find the nearest elevator, bathroom, or vending machine, even though these devices are not part of any computer network.
What is needed is a way for a user of a computing device to be able to detect or otherwise discover people and other resources that are nearby the user's computing device. The method and system should be reliable, flexible, and extensible, as well as easy to use and understand for even non-sophisticated computer users.